So, will be AL a dead or alive cat? let's complain

Lab AstroLab
#1

It’s been months since the first and unique update rolled out on Astrolab, but it seems that nothing moves in the update and fix departement. No replies here, no rumors, as i can see…
Ok, Arturia spent great efforts on marketing side, every known youtuber had an AL, everyone is happy… except the real customers, i think:
imho a stage keboard that has hangs on notes, sound clicking, freezes, absurd volume and sound change issues, just to mention the major issues, cannot be seen as real working instrument, it reminds me of a good demo product.
Really, have you tried to play something with a sustain pedal?! or some track with sound change? for REAL?
The feeling of “slippyness” is too big, even a 399€ Go Keys performs better! COME ON!

another “would be” product is disappointing (who did own an Origin like i did?)

Maybe Arturia should open their beta testing and let the community of real players partecipate, if a new firmware is on the run (?), keep the audience warm telling them what are they working on, communicate.

We are sick tired of announcement war where companies shout “my new keyboard has bigger keys than yours”: musical instruments are not the last smartphone, suv or eyewear making trend…or they should not be.

Please, listen to us, we are not asking a blender or fridge plugin option, we are asking to have something really playable, we had faith in your company when we bought your product.

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#2

Sorry your AstroLab isn’t doing what you want. It never feels good to spend a lot of money on something that doesn’t satisfy expectations.

Our keyboardist has been using his AstroLab on all our gigs recently, indoors and outdoors, and he loves it. He hasn’t experienced any of these issues, although he has had to volume match some presets, which is expected whenever you have different patches and different hardware models. (The original hardware models also differed in volume of course.)

Is it possible there’s an issue with your unit? It’s nearly impossible for all units to roll off a line in perfect shape. Perhaps you should think about opening up a ticket for support with Arturia, and find out whether it needs repair.

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#3

Hi!
thank you for the advice and your explanations, they are very appreciated.
I’ll wait before bringing the AL on live, because i think the “cons” are more than “pros”: by now my gig setup is a Numa X Piano 88, Mainstage with Korg Collection and Arturia plugins and a Nord Stage 3. I wish to change the NS3 to reduce the load weight and make the mainstage patching easier but after many tries i still have doubts:
patch change is slow especially if you need many during performance, the “between two sounds” transition is often full of garbage 'cause the fx and sound engines doesn’t change together.
Other big issue is polyphony, a non perfect timing on sustain pedal could cause heavy sound chopping.
When the system goes under pressure - and i mean something different than playing a piano or organ patch for two hours - the machine starts to do little glitches, bad efx, voice chop, strange behaivours in the sound (i.e. you stop, reload the same patch and all goes well)
I hope that this is NOT the definitive FW for this good and powerful machine, and they will solve these flaws, by now this is a very good alternative to plugin in the studio, really, but compared to real “live” machine i think there are too many issues.

1 Like
#4

Happily my AL seems to be working as expected, but there was an amusing incident with the add-on wooden legs-the photos were great tho’ (not withstanding the mentioned matter of volume matching-no big thang) and the noise coming from Arturia re Firmware,could be promising…we are due. It was said that user input was a factor in whatever was coming.

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#5

Hope so!!!

#6

Not that i’m a potential customer, but any sign yet of them updating the firmware to make the machine fully compatible with V Collection X? Upon launch it was only fully compatible with VC9, which had been discontinued for four months by then, suggesting the machine’s launch had been delayed by upto a year with the result the firmware it shipped with was already obsolete at launch.

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#7

It seems that no official date, nor features, nor more engines are said, here or on official Arturia page.
In fact, there is no news at all, here or there.

«There is no dark side in the moon , really . Matter of fact it’s all dark . The only thing that makes it look alight is the sun.»

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#8

I just received my new Astrolab 61 today. Within an hour it froze up on me. Had to reboot. Played a while and it froze again. Sounds like the company released this prematurely. Disappointing because I like the sounds and not having to bring a laptop.

#9

Sorry to hear your AstroLab froze up.
Before you return it, a couple things to check:

  • Which version of firmware did you receive?
    There was a firmware update recently (1.2.9), and you should make sure your unit is up-to-date.

  • Did the “freeze” occur when the AstroLab was played standalone (no USB no MIDI connections), or was it connected to other devices via MIDI and/or USB?
    Make sure to test the AstroLab by itself first.
    If there were other devices connected, USB/MIDI loops, for instance through a DAW/Sequencer, can cause problems (to any gear, not specifically AstroLab).
    Also some workstations can generate a lot of extra MIDI data which can clog the USB/MIDI ports if not filtered.

#10

Hi Sean. Thanks. It happened standalone. Not even a sustain pedal plugged in… Just audio outs and power.

I wanted to update the firmware (1.0.2) but guitar center recommended replacement. They haven’t heard of this problem and suspect hardware issue, not software. Hopefully the next one is ok. Have you heard of this, or other, problems with this keyboard? I know there relatively new. Wondering if it’s going to be reliable.

#11

Oh, 1.0.2 was the pre-release firmware Arturia used for production, but it was already replaced by 1.1.6 by the time of the official release (early April).
The 1.2.9 update was just released a week ago.
I’m not sure what issues might be related to 1.0.2, but that unit should definitely be updated.

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#12

Arturia needs to make sure stores are aware of that before accepting returns for « faulty » units that it has been updated before.

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#13

Hi Sean. How could pre release firmware be on a retail keyboard? Either they sent pre release keyboards to guitar center for sale, or reinitiating the keyboard (is that possible?) brings it back to pre release?

Thanks

#14

Hi RC. I think retailers should always accept returns for faulty keyboards. It’s not up to the buyer to be a beta tester and issue resolver. Arturia should be responsible for only selling release versions of a product.

This was a brand new keyboard.

Perhaps there’s a reinitialize operation that resets the firmware to pre release state?

But all the peel-off plastic was still on the keyboard. Never played before.

Thanks for responding.

#15

Yes, the first shipment of AstroLab was shipped to dealers with 1.0.2, because they had to be in stores by the time of the official announcment (April 9th).
Therefore, 1.1.6 was not yet released when the first batch was shipped to stores.
This is not specific to Arturia. Most manufacturers do this.
And then, there are often further firmware updates after the official release.
Since dealers do not maintain a “First In, First Out” inventory, even months after the first shipment, they might still have older units in stock with outdated firmware. That’s true for all brands.
Checking for new firmware is usually the first thing to do when getting a new device that uses firmware.

#16

even though i’m happy with customer support “Simon + Sean” answering my many questions, I feel the similar frustration.
Haven’t gotten to the sustain pedal issue yet as i’m still figuring out other things more basic to that. I like the idea of a real run of beta test users. Its true every YT says the keyboard is great but this small group of real working users here seems to be having a lot of issues.

#17

HI @djnoodlesoup
i totally agree with you, i hope that recent update fixed those problems but i must admit that there are no noticeable big improvements imho:

  • load time for a new sound is still crap, with wiggling strange sounds fx if you play during timbre+engine change

  • still cannot pair to my home’s wifi for no known reason (it worked until i tried to connect two AL devices, ipad and iphone)

  • sound glitches during performance - if you play something more complicated than “mary had a little lamb” with two fingers

My final thoughts?
a Macbook Air M1 with mainstage and Analog Lab (if you don’t own already)+ Keylab Essential + some decent audio board for input and output cost less and beat this keyboard to death, with no dropouts, instant sound load, upgraded polyphony, same integration and a 13" screen.

I will send back mine if possible, or sell it.

Time’s up for me, Arturia

1 Like
#18

Can a MacBook Air m1 really load sounds fast enough? I’ve had to buy PCs specifically designed for this purpose, special day memory and hard drives. Not a Mac person yet. :blush:

I like the way you think, especially with the limited polyphony of this keyboard.
The all-in-one approach got me to buy one, but the limited polyphony is killing me.

#19

i assure you that a silicon (M1) or later Mac does the work in a flash, i have a Macbook Pro M1 with 16GB ram and there is no wait. Better choose 16GB ram model for heavier libraries (such as Kontakt) but for Arturia 8Gb are enough add an host like Mainstage or GigPerformer that is available for both Mac and PC - and it works like a charm!! .
I am trying to sell my AL but no one seems interested…strange…
i think that under the hood Arturia placed a really underscaled engine, most of the sounds except organ and piano are literally unplayable, they sond good with a finger, but you don’t play in a such way for real… the idea is good but the sensation of playing is like having some demo product, not a real one.
Compare it with same price items like a Korg Wavestate se or Krome or Yamaha Modx… there is no competition.

If anyone interested, there is an Astrolab 61 for sale !

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#20

I don’t own Astro Lab but regarding the MacBook

May this year family bought me a 2nd hand 2022 MacBook pro with M1 Pro cpu and 16GB Ram, so I can sit in my armchair and still make music (long story as to why, I’ve told it before numerous times)

I also own a i7 Desktop with 64GB RAM, Firewire Focusrite Sapphire pro 40 audio interface, Keylab 61 mk2, NI S88 mk3, NI Maschine mk3 etc.

The PC is around 13 years old and I was planning on spending £2k later this year to upgrade it. Certain things were starting to lag and large loops were starting to become really noticeable with their loading times.

When in my armchair I’m using a Presonus Audio Box Go USB Audio interface, Presonus Eris 3.5 studio monitors and a Keylab 49 essential mk3. I’ve been blown away at the speed, can’t believe how smooth and fast everything loads/runs.

I’m so impressed that I’ve decided not to upgrade my Desktop.

Instead, I’ve got to get a new Audio interface (Focusrite is Firewire, to test this setup works, I’ve used the Presonus Audio box and it works flawlessly) .

I’ve bought a “CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock” and plugged into it my 38" Desktop monitor, my Presonus AudioBox, My Keylab 61, NI S88, NI Maschine

I’ve also got a Apple Magic Keyboard and Apple Magic Trackpad.

Now all I have to do is move from my armchair to my studio desk, literally plug in one Thunderbolt cable from my MacBook to the TS4 Dock and everything springs into life, everything is lightning fast and I have absolutely no need to upgrade my desktop anymore as I simply no longer need it.

First Mac I’ve ever owned, sure there’s a few new things I’ve got to get used to but I’m very very very very impressed with it’s performance and I’ve finally kissed Windows goodbye after using it since the early 90s

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